Are there tips and suggestions for pre-treating upholstery fabrics (lightweight) that have a ‘light’ coating on the back, when using for garments?
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WandaJ
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I have no idea what you are "supposed" to do, but when I was making a lot of costumes and trying to save money I bought a lot of sale-priced upholstery fabric. It was in varying weights. I threw it all in the washing machine since I wanted the costumes to be washable. I did put dark/dark, etc. because I knew they would run.
I was really surprised at how well they held up. They became more drapey and, in my opinion, worked better for clothing. There were only a couple of pieces that were ruined. That was out of at least a couple of dozen.
I agree; prewash any decorator fabric you intend to wear. Any upholstery fabrics with coatings that stay on through washing are likely to be very uncomfortable to wear--they won't breathe or move well, and you might find yourself sensitive to the coating, which was never intended to touch the skin.
With the sizing/backing washed out, it becomes a completely different piece of fabric, one that is soft and drapey.
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